Four Ravens score in double-figures, including 19 points from Jeff Manchester, 18 points from Terrell Ray, 14 points from Eric Jean-Guillaume and 13 points from Kinard Dozier

BOXSCORE

MANCHESTER, N.H. (January 2, 2009) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team snapped its six-game losing skid, and in the process, picked up its first Northeast-10 win on Saturday afternoon via an 83-77 triumph at Southern New Hampshire in Manchester. The Ravens improved to 5-6 overall and 1-6 in the NE-10, while SNHU dipped to 6-5 overall and 2-5 in league play.

A young Raven squad got off to a blazing start this season as it began 4-0 for the first time in 17 seasons. However, as conference play began, Franklin Pierce was on the short end of several close games during the streak.

The Ravens, who were playing their first game since Dec. 18, took out their frustration on Southern New Hampshire and made several plays in the clutch to earn the win.

Four Ravens scored in double-figures, including junior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine), who had a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He also had four rebounds, handed out an assist and swiped a steal.

Senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a strong all-around game for Franklin Pierce has he logged 18 points, eight rebouds, one assist, one steal and a blocked shot. Freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) had 14 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks, while junior backcourt-mate Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) had 13 points and five rebounds.

The Ravens were strong offensively as a team, as they shot 47 percent (27-of-57) from the field, including 41 percent (7-of-17) from behind the arc. Franklin Pierce made its shots when it counted as it converted 58 percent of its field goals in the second 20 minutes.

Three Penmen scored in double-digits, including Tory Stapleton (16 points), Marcus Matthews (13 points) and Greg DeSantis (12 points).

Southern New Hampshire’s subs out-scored Franklin Pierce’s by a count of 27-13. However, the Penmen could not overcome the Ravens advantages in points in the paint (36-26), points off turnovers (16-13) and second-chance points (16-13).

Franklin Pierce stormed out of the gates in a hurry and opened up a 10-2 advantage four-and-a-half minutes into the contest. Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) started the early run with a layup and Manchester capped it with six-consecutive points.

SNHU scored the game’s next five points to pull within three as the game would stay around that point range for the next several minutes. DeSantis did bring SNHU even with Franklin Pierce at 17-17 with 9:07 left in the half on a three-pointer.

Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) answered with a trey of his own at the other end of the court for Franklin Pierce, but Lucas Croteau answered for the Penmen on the next possession with a three to knot the game at 20.

The Ravens scored the next four points on back-to-back layups from Ray and sophomore center John Hegarty (New Bedford, Mass.), and Franklin Pierce would continue to build on its lead during the final minutes of the first half. Dozier laid in a basket at the buzzer to put Franklin Pierce on top, 35-26, heading into the locker room at halftime.

The strong offensive play late in the first half carried over for Franklin Pierce in the second half. Dozier knocked down a triple at the 15:54 mark to give the Ravens their first double-digit lead of the game at 47-35.

The Ravens led by as many as 16, including at 68-52 with 6:46 left following a pair of free throws from senior guard Marcus Wellman (Monroe, Conn.).

However, the Penmen regrouped and slowly chipped away at the deficit, thus forcing what appeared to be a blowout for Franklin Pierce into a much tighter contest.

Stapleton did draw SNHU to within three at 80-77 with 20 seconds left following his layup. The Penmen were forced to foul on the next possession and Manchester calmly drained two free throws to make it a two-possession game at 82-77 with 19 ticks to go.

SNHU missed three layups in the final seconds, including having one blocked by Jean-Guillaume. He made one free throw with a second left to end SNHU’s threat and give the Ravens the victory.

The Ravens return to action Wednesday night when they travel to New York to face Pace at 7:30 p.m. For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s basketball, or to follow live stats of its game at Pace, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)